About Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve:
- Location: It is located in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats.
- It encompasses parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
- It was the first biosphere reserve in India, established in 1986.
- Protected areas within this Reserve: Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wyanaad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley are the
- Vegetation: It has tropical evergreen forests, Montane sholas and grasslands, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, and thorn forests.
- Tribal Population: Tribal groups like the Todas, Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens, Allar, Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve.
- It is India’s first biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.
- Flora: It mainly includes species of Adenoon, Calacanthus, Baeolepis, Frerea, Jarodina, Wagatea, Poeciloneuron, etc.
- Fauna: It mainly has namely the Nilgiri Tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque and the largest South Indian population of elephant, tiger, gaur, sambar, and chital.
